Thanks to our neighbors to the south taking Oregon's usual Feburary weather, we have had sunny skies and warm weather. ( NOT all fun and games as people are already starting to FREAK OUT about the fire season to come and how dry everything will be). However, the weather has gotten the Sage Rats starting to come out.

Yesterday I got up early and went over to do some early season Recon. I only tossed the CZ 452 in the car and a box of Federal Walmart ammo. Went over to the 5000 acre spread I get to shoot on, and low and behold, not out in full force, but they were out enough for me to get in a couple hours of shooting.

Right off the bat, I got to see how the old shooting eye and trigger finger are "out of season" and need to get back into the swing of things. However after a couple of hours of shooting, they seem to be back in form.

That CZ 452 just never ceases to amaze me at its accuracy. It lost no form at all over the winter. It was raring to go.

Being the anal retentive guy I am, I keep a score card of the hit and miss ratio. I find it fun to be able to cap off how much "fun" I had during the shooting season. So Initial Maiden voyage this season, the score card was 56 dead sage rats and 56 misses. The misses were getting a lot closer, and may have even been wounding shots, towards the end of the session. Hits are counted when I hear a firm "whump" when the bullet hits the rat or you see them flop or flip.

Head shots are always the most fun when you get them. The rats flop around like a fish out of water. Two were rolling around wrestling at about 75 yards and I managed to get a two in one shot with a 22 LR. First time for that. I have done in many times with a centerfire 22, but never with the LR. The back rat went flying about 10 feet backwards, so the first made the bullet really open up evidently.

An early morning extra heading over the pass, is that I saw two coyotes. I pulled the car off the road, down from them, in the direction they were heading and sure enough there they came.

At about 75 yds I shot one with the 22 LR behind the shoulder. He started spinning around like he was chasing his tail. His buddy took off at the shot. The one I hit started to head away from me up the hill, but was moving slow due to having a lung with a hole in it. I was lucky enough to manage a head shot on him that dropped him instantly. He was good sized, I estimated at 35 to 40 pounds or more.

First time I ever took a coyote with a 22 Long Rifle and it was evident it is not enough cartridge to kill them instantly with a lung shot. Head shots will work if you are that good of a shooter. However, it was all I had with me and like others, wanted to see what the rifle would do.

All in all a fun day. As challenging as it was fun to use the 22 Long rifle, I can attest a 223 with a hollow point is a lot more fun tho. One just can't escape the fun and justice of an exploding cannabalistic rat!

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
...An early morning extra heading over the pass, is that I saw two coyotes. I pulled the car off the road, down from them, in the direction they were heading and sure enough there they came.

At about 75 yds I shot one with the 22 LR behind the shoulder. He started spinning around like he was chasing his tail. His buddy took off at the shot. The one I hit started to head away from me up the hill, but was moving slow due to having a lung with a hole in it. I was lucky enough to manage a head shot on him that dropped him instantly. He was good sized, I estimated at 35 to 40 pounds or more.

First time I ever took a coyote with a 22 Long Rifle and it was evident it is not enough cartridge to kill them instantly with a lung shot. Head shots will work if you are that good of a shooter. However, it was all I had with me and like others, wanted to see what the rifle would do.

All in all a fun day. As challenging as it was fun to use the 22 Long rifle, I can attest a 223 with a hollow point is a lot more fun tho. One just can't escape the fun and justice of an exploding cannabalistic rat!

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

How do you feel about the 17hmr?

Do you feel the same shot at the coyote with a 17hmr would have dropped him sooner?

Just wondering.

flippy:

I own several 17 HMRs. However, I can not answer that question. I am not all that fired up on the 17 HMR. I think a combo of ammo cost, and addiction developed after I got them of watching like sage rats explode with 223s and hollow points.

My philosophy is there is only one way to really find out, and that is to do it. If I was shooting coyotes with a 17HMR I do know enough that I would be caring the one with the 17 grain Speer TNT bullet in it. I would have a lot more confidence in that bullet than the other two available for terminal performance on an animal.

Once again this was a big coyote and I was sure a shot in the lungs with a 22 Long Rifle would have dropped him quicker. He would have died but who knows how far he would have gone.

On the other hand, a 22 LR to the brain did the job instantly.

Cheers and Good shooting
seafire

It is good to hear that the rats are coming out.
Just got an AR15. I guess its time to get the Dillon 650 going and load up a couple thousand rounds. Fort Rock here I come!

I'll be out tomorrow afternoon for ground squirrels (half-sized prairie dogs) here. The babies should be close to coming out soon so this will be a scouting mission for a trip with my brother.

Second time out shooting Sage Rats,

This time took a couple of 223s, the 22 stayed in the truck. The explosiveness of a Hollow Point Centerfire, makes a rim fire boring.

Saw 3 different bald eagles and several Brown Eagles of some type. James Audobon I am not.

The tally after about 5 hours of casual shooting,
325 shots down range. 210 confirmed kills.
Shows how out of shape our trigger finger can get over the winter.

Heading off again tomorrow, taking along my 10 yr old son for his first outing. Being a book worm type kid, he is apprehensive, when all of his friends are so envious they can't see straight.
The boy evidently took after his mom, or maybe the wife isn't telling me something about the milkman or the mailman?

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

Have been out daily and have yet to see any young sage rats out. The adults have been kinda dumb so far this season. Have been using CCI Stingers for the close shots and they are very effective. Have used the .221 Fireball in a rifle for the longer shots. So far the 40 GR VMAX have been turning them into pink spray. Ventilated two coyotes with the Fireball also. One lung shot and one butt shot. Anchored them
like a sledge hammer. My favorite local areas are still under a foot or so of snow. I guess it is time to head for Christmas Valley.

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
Second time out shooting Sage Rats,

This time took a couple of 223s, the 22 stayed in the truck. The explosiveness of a Hollow Point Centerfire, makes a rim fire boring.

Saw 3 different bald eagles and several Brown Eagles of some type. James Audobon I am not.

The tally after about 5 hours of casual shooting,
325 shots down range. 210 confirmed kills.
Shows how out of shape our trigger finger can get over the winter.

Heading off again tomorrow, taking along my 10 yr old son for his first outing. Being a book worm type kid, he is apprehensive, when all of his friends are so envious they can't see straight.
The boy evidently took after his mom, or maybe the wife isn't telling me something about the milkman or the mailman?

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

I have two kids. One could care less, and one couldn't shoot less. It must be in the water...

Going out to Christmas Valley/Waggontire area in two weeks. Can't hardly sleep...

A buddy is going middle of next week for recon. He has some new areas to scout.

Saw the first young sage rats out today. In a couple of weeks they should be good, dumb, plentiful targets.

Seafire/B17G: Great report from out your way! And congrats on the Coyote withthe 22 LR! Early on in my Varminting career I used to shoot Coyotes with the 22 LR. I am estimating I have killed 10 or more with the 22 LR. There are better cartridges to say the least but you are right a broadside lung shot with the 22 LR will eventually make that Coyote succumb!
I clearly and distinctly differ from you on the 17 HMR - in my mind (based on decades of experience) the 17 HMR far surpasses any other rimfire for small game and Varminting! It has the flattest trajectory, the least wind drift, is the most accurate and the most lethal rimfire out there! I have killed two Coyotes with my 17 HMR and they were both one shot kills at moderate range (100 yards apiece).
As long as we are differing I will note this difference in preference for ammo/guns for Gophering. I rarely ever use centerfires for Ground Squirrel missions anymore. Its just way to expensive and I would be going through a barrel a year (at least) if I had to use the centerfires for my Gophering duties! That and the noise and background problems - I think the 17 HMR out to 225 yards or so is just the perfect Gopher getter round.
I have had two brief Gopher shoots this past week and look forward to the full hoardes of these diminutive crop eating Colony Varmints appearing!
Speaking of weather - here in SW Montana we have set all time record monthly lows for precipitation during the just past months of December, January and February! March has been pretty dry but I do not know if it is on a record pace so far!!! We will probably burn next summer like never before! This is the 8th straight year now of drought and our forests are being decimated by Beetles! Dead trees everywhere! We had similar conditions last year during the winter but were literally saved by abnormal rainfalls in July, August and September!!! It literally rained every afternoon in those months and that is extremely abnormal for SW Montana!!!
Having said that we are in the midst of a blizzard here today! Snowing and blowing and cold with visibility at 125 yards! We need the moisture but why could it not come during winter when its supposed to!!
Get back over after them ASAP Seafire!
I am gonna wait a few weeks for the reproduction cycle to complete before I get after them all out so to speak - as to ensure more targets for next year!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

It has been snowing here in Central Oregon the last couple of days. The sage rats stick out like sign posts. It is easy to confirm hits with the red showing up well on the snow. The rats were digging down in the snow for food. The young ones don't know what to do with the white ice. Switched to 22 mag for today's fun.

VG:

Good hearing from you. We have been getting some rain this week or so,...
It was needed but at least the Forest Service Chicken Little Crowd have given us a breather on their "fire season rants" until we had some thunder and lightning this week.

I just can't get past that Redmist stigma it seems for Rimfires.

One of the reasons I use that Blue Dot loadings is actually if you don't figure in my time handloading,which is usually time alone work for me, which I need anyway..... but the cost of Blue Dot loads is actually cheaper than buying 22 Mag rounds. 10 cents to 12 cents a shot vs 14 cents for the 22 Mag. ( $7.00 for a box of 50).

But exploding rats is just too much of a fun time. I do have to go over and shoot some in the snow, once I get my truck out of the body shop.
Had a little mishap wipe out the door and left front fender. Now the only original body panel on a 1988 truck is the right door! However with 470,000 miles on the 4 Runner, who am I to complain about that???

Ever give Lone Bull ( Larry ) a call? If I get a chance I hope to get over to Montana in a couple of months and look up you two guys. Last time I went thru Dillon, there was no answer at your house.

Keep us posted when you get out shooting.

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

Seafire/B17G: I understand your point and the reduced loads would definitely reduce bore and barrel wear! I usually also have much better glass on my centerfires which is a plus when trying to discern Gophers from dirt clods way out there!!!
No I have not talked to Larry on the phone in some time! He is not far from me (in Montana terms!) only about 170 miles or so.
WOW! Thats a lot of miles on one rig! I only have 90,000 on my 1996 Dodge diesel extended cab VarmintMobile! I hope to get half that many miles on it before it poops out!
Yeah I hope to see you this spring/summer/fall anytime! Keep in mind at the drop of a hat I am outa here like a big bird! For instance at nearly the last minute I headed from here to Texas via Iowa for a Russian Boar Hunt that took 9 full days and I had only been home for a couple of days after returning from a last minute call out for a 16 day jaunt to the coast to earn some mad money and attend a big Gunshow. So give me a little lead time on your travels!
I just got a call this morning to do a homeland security detail out in Puget Sound and that may start in mid -April. I hope that one comes through as I am yearning for a new Remington XR-100 in 204 Ruger!
More later
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Seafire,

I will be heading down to Baker in a few weeks for the annual squirrelfest on the ranch. We are looking forward to it and hope the weather cooperates and there are some squirrels left for us latecomers.

Enjoy all your posts. Take care.

quote:

Originally posted by Seamus O'Grady:
Seafire,

I will be heading down to Baker in a few weeks for the annual squirrelfest on the ranch. We are looking forward to it and hope the weather cooperates and there are some squirrels left for us latecomers.

Enjoy all your posts. Take care.

Seamus,

Good luck over in Baker. If they are not any out, you have to blame it on the locals over that way.... I shoot about 400 miles SW of Baker, over near Klamath Falls, or out near Lakeview in the southern part of the state.

Hope you boys have a lot of "target rich environment" out there and plenty of ammo.

Cheers
seafire

seafire,

If you are ever in the Billings area, give me a call -- lets get together for a cup of coffee.

Regards,
Kory

Kory,

Send me some contact info, to my email.

I have a good buddy who lives in Billings I go out and visit each year once or twice to go shoot prairie dogs NW of Billings.

Drop me your email and I'll send you some contact info on me.
cheers
seafire